Backside Line
Though it’s not probably the most enjoyable to hold due to its measurement and weight, the Counter Assault is tough to beat in relation to safety, sturdiness, and acceptance. We’ve examined bear canisters for dozens of nights in a few of the most densely populated bear areas, and with the Bearkeg, we’ve all the time slept peacefully understanding our meals was secure.
The intense yellow end makes it straightforward to identify your bear canister from afar, however bears can not see the engaging meals inside. Bears will even dislike the three-way keylock design that wants a coin to open. As soon as inside, the spacious inside gives loads of room to pack every week’s value of meals and makes packing and unpacking easy. It will possibly even function a camp stool, though the domed prime isn’t probably the most comfy seat round.
The Bearkeg presents an inexpensive selection for backpackers heading into dense bear territory, however ultralight hikers aiming to shave each ounce would possibly want a clear canister or kevlar bag.
Our information to the most effective bear canisters and backpacking meals storage has many different choices in case you’re in search of one thing else.
How We Examined
We put the Bearkeg by way of its paces in dense black bear nation throughout peak hyperphagia season, carrying it throughout dozens of path miles within the Rocky Mountains. Alongside the best way, we examined its capability and usefulness in real-world backpacking eventualities, confirming that it lives as much as the entire producer’s claims.
Fast Specs
Counter Assault Bear Keg
Finest Massive Capability Bear Canister
CleverHiker Score:
4.6/5.0
Value:
$100
Measured Weight:
3 lb. 11.4 oz.
Quantity (Liters):
11.7
Certifications:
IGBC, Accepted Container for Nationwide Parks
Execs
- Safe
- Extensively accepted
- Excessive visibility
- Sturdy
- Enormous capability
Weight & Packability
At 3 kilos 11.4 ounces (the heaviest bear canister on our checklist), weight isn’t the Bearkeg’s robust level. This isn’t the canister you carry if you’re counting ounces. It’s greatest for group journeys the place the load may be shared or rotated amongst hikers.
Packing the Bearkeg may be simply as difficult as carrying it. Standing 13.5 inches tall with a 29-inch circumference, it eats up plenty of pack house. Realistically, vertical packing is your solely choice.
No backpack we’ve examined to this point suits it horizontally. Packing it vertically is admittedly the one viable choice. Its easy, barely tapered sides additionally make it difficult to strap securely to the surface of a pack. Should you’re planning to carry the Bearkeg, we advocate pairing it with a pack that has a V-strap or twin straps on the lid, or at the very least 60 liters of capability.
Ease of Use
The Counter Assault Bearkeg requires a coin or related object to unlock, however general, it’s fairly easy to make use of. The one potential downside for some is likely to be the opaque partitions, which block your snacks from view, however additionally they present further safety towards curious critters.
To open the lid, merely use a coin to show the three chrome steel locks. The clearly marked lid then swings open to disclose a big opening that makes packing and unpacking straightforward. The lid is a bit exhausting to grip together with your fingers, nevertheless it simply falls out if tipped on its edge.
One other grievance some people may need with the Bearkeg is its domed lid. The canister is sturdy sufficient for use as a stool, however the domed prime isn’t as comfy on the butt.
Safety
The Bearkeg’s safety is unquestionable – this factor is constructed like a WWII bunker. Its thick, inflexible plastic shell barely flexes and feels prefer it may face up to a nuclear blast. In different phrases, no bear’s moving into this one.
Opening the canister requires human-level dexterity. The lid has three chrome steel locks that have to be turned with a coin or related device – easy sufficient for folks with opposable thumbs, unattainable for paws and claws. That’s people: 2, bears: 0.
Whereas clear canisters make it simpler to identify small objects, the Bearkeg’s opaque partitions truly work in your favor by lowering a bear’s curiosity about what’s inside, maintaining your meals a lot safer.
Allow CompatibiLity
The Counter Assault Bear keg is licensed by the IGBC and is an authorized container for all Nationwide Parks. The Bearkeg is a well-liked mannequin stocked by ranger stations for rental to the general public.
Capability
The Bearkeg holds plenty of meals. As a check, we checked what number of dehydrated Good-to-Go meals we may match into every canister whereas nonetheless closing it tightly, and the Bearkeg was in a position to maintain 21 meals. That’s sufficient for 3 meals a day for every week, or dinners for 3 weeks!
In actuality, the Bearkeg can retailer every week’s value of meals or extra in case you pack it rigorously.
Ought to You Purchase the Counter Assault Bearkeg?
Resulting from its giant measurement and weight, the Counter Assault Bearkeg isn’t appropriate for each journey, particularly if you wish to preserve your pack light-weight. As a substitute, it’s greatest for lengthy solo journeys or shorter group journeys the place persistent bears are a recognized concern.
The place bears are an actual risk, nevertheless, you’ll be able to chill out understanding your meals is safe contained in the Bearkeg. It’s so sturdy and reliable that it in all probability received’t see a redesign until a prehistoric super-bear species emerges from an ice age hibernation. Its reliability is supported by a listing of companies, together with the NPS, so you’ll be able to really feel assured that you just’re following meals storage rules nearly wherever you go.
Fortunately, the Bearkeg isn’t any match for the human mind (and thumbs). Supplied you’ve got one thing flat and durable, it’s straightforward to open and even simpler to pack due to its cavernous opening.
What Different Bear Canisters and Backpacking Meals Storage Ought to You Think about?
Desire a lighter choice? See our full information to backpacking meals storage.
Naked Boxer Champ Evaluate: The Champ has an analogous design to the Bearkeg, that includes a tool-dependent mechanism, tapered form, and sturdy, opaque building. Though it holds much less meals, it’s a lot lighter and simpler to pack.
REI Traverse Evaluate: Of all of the clear bear canisters, the REI Traverse evokes probably the most confidence with its thicker plastic partitions and heavy-duty locking mechanism. It will possibly even collapse in measurement as your meals provide decreases or be adjusted to a smaller measurement for a fast journey.
BearVault BV500 Journey Evaluate: BearVaults stay a few of the hottest bear canisters used on the path. They’re easy, straightforward to pack, and inexpensive.
